DOJ pursues hate crime charges in shooting deaths of Israeli Embassy staffers

Kendrick Calfee, The Kansas City Star on Aug 6, 2025

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A man charged in the shooting deaths of two Israeli Embassy staff members earlier this year could face an indictment on federal hate crime charges this week, according to media reports.

Elias Rodriguez has been charged in federal court with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Johnson County native Sarah Milgrim, 26. An indictment this week is expected to include special findings for capital punishment, which would allow the Justice department to pursue the death penalty, CBS News reported Tuesday.

A grand jury has convened to hear the Justice Department’s evidence, CBS News reported.

Milgrim and Lischinsky were a soon-to-be engaged couple working at the embassy at the time of the shooting.

The shooting took place around 8 p.m. Central Standard Time outside the Capital Jewish Museum, according to reports. When police arrived, they discovered two people, later identified as Milgrim and Lischinsky, had been shot. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

They were leaving an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee’s young professional division. The annual reception brings together Jewish young professionals from ages 22 to 45 and diplomats from around the world, according to a press release from the AJC.

After being taken into custody by a security guard, Rodriguez allegedly chanted, “Free Palestine, free Palestine,” Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith told reporters.

The shooting has been investigated as a possible hate crime, said Steven J. Jensen, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington field office.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said the suspect “will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” according to CNN.

Milgrim was a Shawnee Mission East graduate and known locally as a young leader involved in several activities outside of her school work. Hundreds gathered in Overland Park in May to honor Milgrim and her family. Friends described her as fiercely loyal and a peacemaker who held strong Jewish values.

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—Previous reporting by The Star’s Joseph Hernandez and Caroline Zimmerman contributed.